Barrier-free showers are defined as showers which have an opening of sufficient size to allow ingress and egress of wheelchairs. Barrier free showers may be of sufficient size to allow the presence of a wheelchair within the shower. Barrier-free showers may have a seat formed within the shower on which the user may be seated after exiting the wheelchair, or a fold up seat could be provided.
In use, a user is placed within the barrier-free shower by means of the wheelchair, The user exits the wheelchair and sits on the seat within the shower, or the user may sit within the wheel chair in larger showers. If the wheel chair has been removed, then after the showering process is complete, the wheelchair is again placed within the shower, and the user is seated in the wheelchair. The wheelchair and user then exit the barrier-free shower.
Normally, shower curtains are used to act as a barrier to prevent water from escaping from the shower enclosure. Due to the relatively large opening of the shower enclosure, and the absence of a raised threshold, the shower curtain may tend to fly away from the enclosure due to the presence of pressurized water which heats the air within the shower during the shower activity. As a result, water escapes from the shower enclosure, and onto the floor in an undesired manner.